What is galaxy X phenomenon?

Galaxy PKS 2014-55 is 800 million light-years from Earth, classified as an X-shaped galaxy because it looks like there are four rays radiating into an X-shape.

This shape is different from other regular galaxies like our own Milky Way galaxy. Normal galaxies have only two radio waves that extend in both directions and usually in opposite directions and are powered by a huge black hole in the middle of the galaxy.

Galaxy PKS 2014-55 is shaped like a double boomerang

The radio image above, captured by the MeerKAT telescope, shows the galaxy PKS 2014-55 shaped like a double boomerang . Two strong radio waves are shown in blue, each 2.5 million light-years long reaching into space (equivalent to the distance between the Milky Way and the Fairy Galaxy, the neighboring galaxy nearest to us.)

But they eventually bend 'back' due to the pressure of the intergalactic dilute air. When they returned to the central galaxy, instead of returning to their original positions, they were deflected by relatively high air pressure and turned into a shorter and perpendicular path of the boomerang. On the background of the image, we can see thousands of distant galaxies in the universe. 

People have come up with a number of explanations for this strange phenomenon. This could be due to the rotation of the black hole at the center of the galaxy for millions of years, either because two black holes are linked to a pair of radio rays , or the reason could be an object. material that falls back into the galaxy is deflected and forms two arms of the letter X.

The rather sharp new images provided by the MeerKAT telescope about the galaxy PKS 2014-55 confirm the final explanation. It is matter that turns the corner when it returns to the host galaxy . The results of this observation were published in the monthly Announcement Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society, England. 

This is the study of a team of researchers from the South African Radio Astronomical Observatory, the National Radio Astronomical Observatory, the University of Pretoria and the University of Rhodes, South Africa.

Previous studies of these unusual galaxies still lack high-quality images that have been this time thanks to the MeerKAT telescope. It has 64 radio disks and is located in the semi-desert region of Karoo in South Africa. All of the antennas combined make up the 8km diameter telescope and provide images in the form of the highest quality radio band ever to the galaxy PKS 2014-55. Thanks to this, scientists have explained the secret of the galaxy's shape.

This galaxy has radio rays pointing in directions

The photo shows the giant X-shaped radio galaxy PKS 2014-55 with radio rays pointing in directions, where younger rays are closer to the central black hole and the area affected by stars and gas in the central galaxy. The curved arrow indicates the direction of reverse flow that forms the elements along the horizontal line of the letter X.

Lead researcher, American astronomer William Cotton said MeerKAT is one of the new generation tools capable of 'solving old riddles' and even new things. The PKS Galaxy 2014-55 appears with many details, features that have never been seen before and cannot be explained. Researchers are continuing to learn about these open questions.